Round seven of the Moto2 championship, the Italian Grand Prix, saw Joe Roberts fight off Manuel Gonzalez all the way to the fini𒐪sh for just his sec𝕴ond ever race win.

Starting from pole, the American Racing rider took an early lead, but succumbed to pressur💫e from Alonso Lopez.

The duo being at war allowed them to both be passed, with Lopez out🐼 front both Aron Canet and Gonzalez seized the opportunity to get involved in the bat💫tle at the front.

Lap nine saw ♒the Californian sat back in behind Lopez. The #18, who had several wobbles over the shortened twelve lap distance🍎 on his Kalex (a knock on from the Moto3 race red flag) made his move at turn one to lead again.

The Gresinౠi bike fought back and the pair put on a show, swapping position corner after corner.

Roberts went deep and stayed ahead, leading to a guarded and defensive final two laps to lead over the line by just 0.067s.
 

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It is just the second time Roberts has🎃 won in Moto2, the first also coming in a shortened race, the Portuguese 💯round in 2022.

Gonzalez has endured an up and down season, finishing outside the top twenty in the last two races. The QJMotor rider was hoping for a first ever race win and kept the pressure on all the way to the line for second, his best result of the seasonꦕ.

Lopez fought back to finish third. Though the MV Conveyors Speed Up rider was dropped 🦂in the rush to the line,  but the Boscoscuro rider was still pleased ꩲto pick up a podium, celebrating by riding his bike to parc ferme side saddle.

Championship leader Sergio Garcia took his teammate Ai Ogura late in the race to claim fourt🦹h for MT Helmets - MSI.

Catalan winner Ogura had fought up from twelfth ꧅on the first lap to be in the lead group before being forced to settle for fifth.

Aron Canet also made big moves, as high as second on his way to sixth for Fantic 🉐Racin♒g.

Celestino Vieওtti was the top Italian in Mugello in a lonely seventh, using hi♈s extensive track knowledge to help mask his performance issues on the Red Bull KTM Ajo bike.

Izan Guevara fought his way to the front of the chasing group for eighth♚, his best performance of the year and second best Moto2 result since moving into the class for CFMoto Inde Aspar.

Somkiat Chantra had lead the way on Friday but never saw the same improvements to move him forward with the leaders. The Idಞemitsu Honda team Asia rider pushed Guevara all the way to the chequered flag for ninth.

Marcos♏ Ramirezᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ succumbed to a series of early passes and never really recovered from his fall back on the first lap, leaving him to complete the top ten for American Racing.

Diogo Moreira collected his best Moto2 finish in eleventh for Italtrans, the top rookie in the rac🌳e.

Jake Dixon fought back after a difficult weꦉekend to climb to twelfth from 15th✨ on the grid on the second CFMoto Inde Aspar entry.

Deꦉniz Oncu was back in the points in his first year in the class, a new best result of 13th for the Red Bull KTM Ajo rook💜ie.

Dixon, Oncu and Zonta van den Goorbergh were all close on track w🎐ith the RW Idrofoglia Racing GP rider the last of the trio over the finish li𒁏ne in 14th.

Ma♉rio Aji was back in the points for the second race in a row, taking the chequered flag in 15th for the Idemitsu team.

Former championship runner-up, T🙈ony Arbolino had to give a place back in the race for overtaking under a yellow flag. The Marc VDS rider continued his difficult season with a 16th place finish, just behind Aji and just out of the points.

Crashes, Injuries and Replacements

Daniel Munoz was back as a🍬 replacement for Bo Bendsneyder at the Pertamina Mandalika Gas Up team, placing 22nd.

Alex Escrig completed a double long lap penalty for a ♑jump start on his way to 24th.

Fermin Aldeguer sat out Q2 with neck pain and was sent to hospital for tests, leaving him P18 on the grid. Declared fit to race at the circuit in🌠 the morning, the MB Conveyors Speed Up rider had not made any forward progress when he was involved in a collision with Jeremy Alcoba🅷, with their incident due to be reviewed post-race.

Alcoba’s bike flew back onto the track wi🏅th all the riders behind successfully taking evasive action꧙.

Darryn Binder had been enjoying a much improved weekend of Moto2 action, qualifying fifth. The South African was holding th🌌at position in the race when he fell at turn eight, a fast exit at Arribbiata 1.

Filip Salac and Ayumu Sasaki also fell out of contention, wildcard Mattia Pasini 🔴fell from his Team Ciatti Boscoscuro on the last lap, but finished 26th.

Championship Standings

The result sees Garcia still hold the overall lead, movin🌜g on to 122 after his fourth place in the race. A win sees R🌄oberts close in, now just seven points shy of the Spaniard’s total.

Ogura remains𒅌 fourth on 99 points, 23 adrift of the lead, with Alonso Lopez taking over from his teammate in fourth on 79, with Aldeguer remaining on 63 after his DNF.